The Twin Rubies
by GravityFactor
Summary: Pirate AU Gravity Falls. Pirate AU Gravity Falls. When Bill and Dipper go back out to sea, Dipper begins to feel uneasy. Bill notices his struggle and tries to help him find the root of his growing depression, making them encounter new people and old enemies. The sequel to The Captain and his Cabin Boy.
1. Chapter 1: Lessons

**Author's Note:**

**Hello Readers and little children of all ages….Guess who's back?**

**That's right Caitlin and Camille are back for another round baby! This is the sequel to **_**The Captain and his Cabin Boy **_**story; **_**The Twin Rubies**_**. **

**Now for those who haven't read the first story, you can go ahead and click on my user name and find **_**The Captain and his Cabin Boy **_**on my stories list. I recommend it it's a good read and it's a pirate AU of Gravity Falls. Lots of mystery and adventure and very interesting to read.**

**For those who **_**have**_ **read the previous installment, I am very excited to show you guys what Camille and I have created. As always this was done by Role Playing with Camille as Captain Bill and I (Caitlin) as Dipper Pines. Also we'd like to thank kit Kat for the amazing idea that got us going for the story. Cudos to you kit Kat *salute gesture***

**Make sure to Review, favorite, all that good stuff if you enjoy this chapter or the story.**

**So without further adieu, here is the first out of many chapters for **_**The Twin Rubies**_**.**

**Happy Reading!**

~Chapter 1: Lessons~

After their adventure on Isle de Rosa, Captain Bill Cipher and Dipper Pines returned to the Golden Eye with a bag full of treasure in hand. And they returned out to sea once more. Dipper had a big smile on his face glad that he was back on the ship and his new home.

Bill walked up behind Dipper, putting a hand on his shoulder with a big grin. He breathed in the fresh air as the wind whipped his hair around wildly. "It feels great to head back to sea," he said. "Don't you think Pine Tree?"

Dipper looked up at his captain, matching his grin. "It sure is, sir," he replied. He looked at the sea blue water "I think we can both agree that the ocean is far better than land."

"Aye!" Bill agreed, giving him a rough pat on the back. "That it is!"

Dipper winced a bit but kept the grin on his face "Aye." He breathed out.

Bill exhaled deeply, looking out at the sparkling ocean.

Dipper glanced up at Bill smiling to himself. He began to think of the past few days with him on the island how they grew a slight connection. Then he remembers Bills surprising secret "Captain..." He whispered

Bill heard the tone in his voice and looked down at him curiously and raised an eyebrow in question.

"...You need to know how to read, sir." Dipper whispered so that the other crew members wouldn't hear but him.

Bill started in surprised and slapped a hand over his mouth. He looked around quickly to make sure no one heard, then hauled Dipper with him into the captains quarters.

Dippers eyes widened slightly and shuffled his feet when Bill pulled him inside. He placed his hand on Bills arm and tried to pull his hand away from his mouth.

Bill swung the door closed quickly when they got in and let go of Dipper. "Okay, rule one about..my predicament. Never, and I mean NEVER, speak about it in front of my crew." He huffed.

Dipper turned to face him and he nodded quickly in understanding "Yes sir." Dipper said

Bill put his hands on his hips and leaned back, letting out another nervous huff. He ran his fingers through his mop of blonde hair and grinned at Dipper. "So you think you're up to seriously teaching me how to read and write?

Dipper smirked at him and folded his arms "I'm up for any challenge, Bill," he replied "The question is are you up for it?" He teased

"Oh-hoho!" He chuckled with a grin. "I'm up for any challenge!"

Dipper laughed "We'll start by writing ok?"

Bill nodded and grinned, excitement beaming on his face, and for a moment, he looked young. Like a child almost, a child on Christmas morning.

Dipper smiled at his excitement and jumped into a quick run going over to Bill's desk. He took out his pencil that he use for writing in his journal and got a piece of parchment that lay scattered on the desk

Bill took a seat in his large chair and kicked his feet up onto the table, leaning back and lacing his fingers behind his head. "So where do we start?"

Dipper began to write the letters from the alphabet in order "First off you need to know what the letters look like and sound like." he replied as he continued to write it. He soon finished and turned the paper around, pushing it to Bill.

Bill leaned forward and peered at the paper. He furrowed his eyebrows together and said "That's a lot more than I thought there would be"

"Don't worry they're just letters," Dipper said and walked around the desk and stood by Bills chair. "It's not as complicated as you might think. Here," Dipper pointed at the letter A. "That's A, it makes an "Ah" sound." Dipper explained.

"okay.." Bill looked at it closely.

Dipper continued to explain each letter and occasionally used words for examples. Like for B, Dipper used Bill's name to pronounce it better and D for his own name.

Bill scratched his head and listened intently

After about ten minutes of explaining each letter, Dipper wrote the lower case versions for each one. "These are just the lower case letters of the upper case ones," Dipper explained. Then he gave the pencil to Bill "Here you try now."

"Wait there's another set?" Bill exclaimed as he took the pencil. "I was just getting the hang of these ones!"

Dipper laughed "They mean the same thing," Dipper explained. "Just smaller. Try writing each letter. I prefer right hand but you can do whatever." Dipper shrugged

Bill balanced the pencil in his right hand thoughtfully. "Is there a difference?"

"Left hand I think you write over your words," Dipper replied crossing his arms over his chest. "And right hand you cans see what you're writing."

Bill paused before wielding the pencil in his right hand. "Alright, I'll stick with this one then"

Dipper grinned and sat on the desk, letting his feet dangle. "Try to copy the letters on the page."

Bill began writing intently, focusing in on the pencil, watching it leave marks on the paper. "Like this?"

Dipper watched intently and had a slight smile on his face "Good job. You're getting there," Dipper replied. "Just relax and write at your own pace."

Bill massaged his temples. "This is much harder than I thought it would be" he admitted.

"You'll get the hang of it," Dipper assured him. "It was a challenge for me as well."

"How did you learn?" He asked peering at him curiously

Dipper looked at his eye and fingered his hands together "I wrote my name down...that's how I got the hang of it..." Dipper replied

"Can I see your name?"

"Sure." Dipper nodded and he took the pencil from Bill. He pulled the paper to him and began to write his full name carefully.

Bill leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. He tilted his head curiously as he watch Dipper write.

Dipper wrote his full name out and on the paper it said "Dipper Pines". He put the pencil down "That's my name."

Bill slid the paper close to him so he could try and read it better. He then slid it back. "What does my name look like?"

Dipper picked the pencil back up and wrote down Bill's name on the page. "I don't think I know your last name, Bill..." Dipper suddenly realized.

Bill leaned back. "I don't have one" he said, his tone of voice changed. Before it was light hearted (as usual) but now it was low and warning Dipper not to ask further.

Dipper bit his lip at the sudden change and decided to drop it quickly. He pushed the paper to Bill "Well here's your name..." He muttered

Bill looked at the paper with interest. He traced his fingertip on the letters that spelled out his name. He smiled softly. "It looks nice"

Dipper smiled at him and rest his hands behind him on the desk as he looked at him. "Can you read it?" He asked making sure.

"Yeah I actually can!" He exclaimed excitedly

Dippers smile went brighter "That's progress, Bill! Good job." He congratulated his captain.

Bill did so, and they continued to write for a long period of time (he even doodled a crudely drawn Pine tree at one point) before bill finally became exhausted. "Alright, " bill said, letting the pencil clatter onto the table as he held his cramping hand. "Lessons over. "

Dipper sighed feeling exhausted in a way from teaching him how to read and write. "Aye I agree," Dipper says and smiles at Bill. "Good work today, Bill." He complimented.

"Aye! " He said, enthusiastically giving him a two finger salute. "Now get your ass out there and get to work mate"

Dipper grinned and did it back to him. "Aye aye, Captain!" He exclaims and runs to the door that led outside.

Bill smiled and leaned back in his chair, unaware of what was about to take place as the door slammed shut behind Dipper.

"Well well," a man on the deck said when he saw Dipper exit the Captain's quarters. He was a middle aged man with average weight. His beard reached his chest in a gnarly mess. He raised his bushy eyebrows at dipper and wrinkled his bulbous nose. "Captain's boy sure took his time with the Captain. What were you two talkin' 'bout in there?"

Dippers eyes met with the tall and broad man and he shrunk back a little bit. Dipper thought for a moment as he remembered what Bill had said to him to keep the lessons between them. He turned his glance up to the mans eyes "Nothing of your concern, mister," he replied.

He blinked in small surprise at Dipper and elbowed a lanky looking fellow next to him. "Hey Pete, did you hear that? Little Captain boys got secrets! " He snickered. The man turned around and grinned at Dipper, revealing blackened teeth. "Secrets with the Captain? He actually speaking about himself to you? " he asked excitedly.

Dipper glared at the both of them "You lads known him longer than I. What makes you think he would tell a boy like me?" He cocked his head to the side.

"You tell us, " the burlier of the two said, walking over to Dipper and leaned down, invading his personal space as he spoke, his breath tickling Dippers nose. "What made the Captain trust you more than us? You're no more than a pet the cap'n just so happened to pick up from the streets." he mocked

Dipper clenched his hand into a tight fist as he looked at the buff man in front of him. A pet? Is that really all he's got? Dipper took a breath before saying "I led him to gold. He finds value in me...that's what he really wants." He bites back

The man paused and stood up, looking down at Dipper in irritation. "You're right, that's all he wants. So what's the reason he taken such a liking to a runt like you? " he said as the other crew members began to flock closer to the two, curiosity reining them in.

Dipper was starting to feel a slight fear to them. But he managed to keep his chin up and look proud to what he was doing. "I tend to be quite likable from my past experiences." He half lied. He sorta knew he was likable but he never experienced being apart of a crew such as this.

"Like you stole Mommy's bloomers for the boys? " a shrill voice called out and chorus of rumbling laughter came from the crew members

Dipper was getting angry now at them. Why couldn't they just leave him alone? "Nothing like that no..." He said slowly reaching the point where he was close to growling.

The man put a large hand on his shoulder and grinned dangerously at him. "Oh come now, we are only poking fun." He said, his time of voice telling him otherwise

Dipper yanked his shoulder away from the mans hand "I've no time for fun. It'd be best if we just got back to work." Dipper suggested not wanting to go deeper into this dispute.

The man glared down at him, leaning down until they were nose to nose again. "I don't think it's your place to tell us what to do." he growled as the growing crowd behind him began to grow restless with excitement

Dipper wanted nothing more than to just run away from the fellow crew member. But he had to prove himself that he wasn't a weak boy that they see him as. Bill knew he wasn't one since their past experience...but now the greater challenge was staring right in front of his face. "Aye you're right on that one," Dipper replied staring directly into his eyes, not moving one muscle. "But I rather not disturb the Captain with this ridiculous setting. Imagine what he would say if this got too far..." Dipper inwardly smirked at his choice of words.

A burly hand grabbed dippers collar roughly. "Are you threatening me? How dare-" the man was cut off when the sound of a door bursting open and smacking hard against the outer wall, silencing the jeering crowd. "What in the ever living hell is going on out here? " a harsh voice pierced through the air as the crew member hastily let go of Dipper.

Dipper winced at the sudden pain of him grabbing onto his shirt and the next thing he knew, he was on the ground quicker than he expected. Dipper rubbed his chest while he propped himself up on his arm. He had a look on his face of complete surprise and somewhat relieved that he wasn't beaten to death by the crew.

Bill stepped out and stood over Dipper with hands on his hips, however, he wasn't looking at him. He glared with fiery eyes at the crew as an awkward silence filled the air, the man who started the whole scene had melted back into the crowd. "Well?" He snapped, making everyone flinch fearfully.

"We were only rough housing is all cap'in, no harm was done" a timid voice called out.

Bill looked down at Dipper, still pain on his face. "Can you stand? "

Dipper looked up at Bill, having his fear finally show in his eyes. Not to Bill. But to the men who stood before him. Dipper nodded slowly "Aye, sir..." He whispered and slowly got up to his feet.

"Good, " he nodded, and he looked back at the crew. "Listen up! " He barked, making everyone jump. "If I find this happening again I will be happy to tie bricks to your feet and send you to the bottom of the ocean with knifes in your eyes without so much as batting mine. Got it? " he said, a few members lifted their hands to their faces fearfully in response.

Dipper did not listen to Bills threats to the crew. Instead his mind was elsewhere thinking of how close he was to getting beaten if it weren't for Bill to save him. He felt his heart ache in his chest and he placed his hand over it. Dippers face fell as he didn't look at the crew or Bill. He just stared at the wood on the ground.

The crowd slowly dissipated and mumbles could be heard. Bill turned on his heels to storm back to his cabin but he caught a glimpse of dipper still on the ground clutching his chest. "Pine tree" he snapped, voice less harsher than before but still fairly harsh.

Dipper flinched when he heard his familiar nickname from Bill and he shifted his gaze up to him. "Y-Yes, sir?" Dipper stuttered

Bill stared for a moment down at Dipper before speaking again. "Come with me, " he said and headed back to his cabin, leaving his door open for him.

Dipper nodded slowly, now starting to feel sick to his stomach. He obeyed his Captain's order and followed him back to his quarters, shutting the door behind him.

Bill sat down on the edge of his table and crossed his arms. "You want to explain to me what happened out there? " he asked coldly.

Dipper faced him looking up into his eye, his face evident of how afraid he looked. "I...I came outside...to find a man looking down at me..." He began "He started to ask questions about what we were talking about...I told him nothing sir." He added quickly.

Bills facial expression remained the same. "And?

"And..." Dipper paused for a moment "He called me a pet...a runt that you took a liking too...it got me angry." He reluctantly admitted "More of the crew members came and I told them to stop and just go back to work...that's when he grabbed me." Dipper felt his chest absentmindedly as he continued to look afraid.

Bills face finally broke down and he rubbed his temple. "I was afraid this would happen." He groaned.

"What that they would turn on me?" Dipper asked "I did nothing to them!" Dipper snaps and shuts his eyes tightly.

Bill looked in surprise at Dipper. He didn't say anything in response, but watched the boy curiously.

Dipper tried to take deep and calming breaths. But his hands were starting to shake and he hid them behind his back so Bill wouldn't see how much he was breaking down. "I...I should go..." Dipper said softly and he walked to the door.

Bill knitted his eyebrows together as he watched him leave in silence. He shook his head, trying to dismiss the feeling that whatever was bothering Dipper, it was more than just the events that just took place with the crew.

Dipper exited the Captains quarters as he hung his head and walked silently across the deck. He felt as though something was weighing him down. But he didn't know what it was. He wrapped his arms around his body to hold himself together.

A few men jeered at him, but none moved to attack as he exited the cabin for a second time that day.

Dipper slowly but surely walked down the steps that led below decks and walked to his own cabin room. He shut the door behind him and pulled out his six fingered hand journal with the number 3 on the front and tossed it onto his bed. Dipper rubbed his eyes tiredly thinking maybe he just needed sleep. He hadn't really slept ever since their adventure in the cave. So technically a few days. Dipper sighed and he quickly jotted down a few things in his journal before putting it under his pillow and laying down on top of it. He pulled the covers up, closing his eyes drifting into a deep sleep.


	2. Chapter 2: Shattering Jewel

**A/N:**

**Hello everyone! Long time no see huh?**

**Terribly sorry for the delay, school has been a little bit of a b***h these past few months and it's really hard to stay on top of things. Hopefully I can make frequent updates to this story and finally take a load off as the weekend rolls by. **

**Anyhoo, Thank you guys for supporting the story. Cam and I really appreciate all the reviews and favorites we get from you guys and it really means a lot to us you have no idea.**

**Enjoy this new Chapter!**

* * *

~Chapter 2: Shattering Jewel~

Many more days passed and the crew eventually stopped giving him a hard time. Bill had suggested that they begin to hold their lessons at nighttime so as to avoid more trouble.

As the days went by however, Dipper began to feel worse and worse than he ever experienced. He was finishing his duties a lot slower then usual and he only showed himself to Bill during his lessons in the Captain's quarters. There was one night in particular as Dipper stood by Bill's side that his expression had shown sadness and grief.

Bill was writing down simple words when he finally stopped the pencil. "Alright Pine tree, it's time to talk." He said firmly.

Dipper jumped a bit when he suddenly talked and he looked at him "What do you mean?" He asked slightly confused.

The man scoffed at him and folded his arms. "It's obvious you aren't doing well. You rarely speak to me

now and just now you looked like you just killed a puppy."

Dipper bit his lip in embarrassment. He didn't speak for a minute. "I don't know what you're talking about." He said softly, playing dumb. In truth he really didn't know why he was feeling so empty. He felt as though his very soul was breaking into tiny pieces.

Bill paused before sighing and leaning forward. "I'm not stupid. " He stated bluntly, yet his tone gave away an emotion that he rarely showed; sympathy. "If a member of my crew is not well, it is my duty to make sure of their well being. Now, what is wrong?"

Dipper held his arm as he looked down at the floorboards. He took a moment to address what he was feeling into words. Dipper took a deep breath and looked up at Bill, his eyes showing great emotion that he was no longer able to block. "I can't help but feel that there is something wrong, Bill," He said. "Like...there is something missing..."

Bill's gaze on Dipper never wavered as he kept listening.

"I don't know how to explain it," Dipper shook his head. "It's this feeling of emptiness...ever since that night when I got cornered."

Bill paused and shook his head angrily. "Damn them, but Pine tree, you've faced much worse then my men." He said the sentence as if it was a question rather than a statement.

"Aye I know, Bill," Dipper replied, placing his hand behind his neck as he thought. "After that happened, I began to feel as though I'm falling apart...slowly...yet painfully." Dipper hated to admit anything this deep to his feelings to Bill. In fact, he never liked to admit it to anyone. All he did was bottle them up inside...until the bottle shattered.

Bill leaned back and thought quietly to himself. Dipper wasn't the strongest man on board, but he could still holds himself up well enough. Why he was feeling this way however, Bill had no idea. It wasn't normal for anyone to feel like this unless something traumatic happened, but he couldn't fathom what could possibly have triggered the boy.

Dipper sighed through his nose as he turned his gaze out to the window, looking into the dark water and the dimly lit sky of stars. "I don't know what's gotten into me, Bill..." He whispered.

Bill eyed him cautiously and didn't say anything. He learned that silence tends to get a person talking more then noise. He listened to the creaking of the boat quietly and tried to read Dippers face.

Dipper kept staring out the window as he continued to feel the aching pain in his heart. He felt so lonely and incomplete. What was happening to him? Dipper's hand gingerly touched the red ruby on his hilt of his sword and he caressed the jewel.

Bill saw this small act and watched curiously as Dipper's fingers trailed around the ruby's surface, and he could've sworn he saw it glinting. "Well, it's been a long day," Bill exclaimed loudly and kicked his feet up on the desk. "You should get some sleep Pine tree, and with my new reading abilities I'll try to research what is ailing you" he said with a grin.

Dipper looked at Bill when he spoke and the corners of his lips twitched upwards into a small smile to him. "Alright, Captain...and thank you." He added and moved away from Bill's desk.

"no problem! " He exclaimed with a grin.

Dipper did a weak salute to him with two fingers "Goodnight, Bill." He said and left the cabin.

"Goodnight," he muttered after the door closed behind him.

Dippers face fell once more when he was outside of Bill's cabin. He closed his eyes for a second, letting a tear escape his eye before he wiped his face and ran to his chambers.

Soon after Dipper left, Bill found himself browsing his large bookshelf. He trailed his fingers across the spines of books he had stolen over the years. Of course when he took them he had no idea what they were for or what they said, he just took the ones that he thought would look pretty on his shelf or if they looked important. Now that he had the beginners knowledge of reading, he was able to make out what some of them said. After scanning the shelves, he went back to his desk with a satisfyingly large mound of books and sat down. "mmm... my.. Myths of the..say? No sea. Yes. Myths of the sea." he said aloud to himself, brandishing the first book, which had a tattered blue cover and pale white letters. This was going to take all night, but he didn't mind. Bill would never admit it, but he actually enjoyed reading. Plus, he was rather worried that a member of his crew wasn't functioning properly and unable to work sufficiently, or at least he told himself that. Deep down, he would never admit this, not even to himself, he was extremely worried about Dipper himself.

Dipper quickly shut his door behind him and breathed in deeply. He could already feel his being wanting to just hold himself on the bed and never let go. He didn't do so however, he sat down on his bed and he slowly took off his weapon belt that had his sword. He held the sword in his hand which was still in the sheath and he looked at his reflection on the ruby. He touched it with his fingers gently and could see that his reflection had tears flowing down his face. Dippers bottom lip quivered as he hugged his sword tightly to his chest as if wanting to be held in return. He brought his knees up onto the bed, crying silently with the ruby pressed against his tear stained cheek.

Soon the morning light filtered in through Bill's window and someone was banging on his door. He awoke with a start and snorted as he sat up from his desk, pages stuck to his cheek. He quickly got up and opened the door, dodging a fist that was trying to continue knocking. "What is it? " he snapped, the paper still stuck to his cheek.

"Oh! Sorry Cap," the lanky man known as Pete said with a thick accent as he reached out and peeled the paper off his face. "Just coming to tell you that the men are gettin' rowdy again." He leaned in and whispered what he was about to say next. "I think it's because our rations are low again."

Bill groaned and stepped out of his cabin, slamming the door behind him. "Dammit all!" he announced angrily as he followed Pete down to the source of yelling. He passed by Dipper's quarters on the way and gave it a wary glance, wondering if he was in the mess hall too.

Dipper was indeed with the crew but he was watching from afar seeing the crew fighting like animals. He was rather amused by it and he suddenly turned his head when he heard Bill coming.

"What is going on here? " he barked.

"Larry ate half of the rations left for supper and now we don't have enough for everyone!"

"Did not!"

"Shut up you big oaf of course it was you, who else would it be?" In one swift motion, Bill picked up the nearest butter knife and threw it across the room. The knife spun through the air and lodged itself in the wall, quivering mere inches from someone's head. "Shut up the lot of you! We are almost to shore so we can pick up more! Got it?" There was a moment of awkward silence before the men mumbled in agreement.

Dipper watched in silence as Bill snapped at the crew and he did flinch when the knife was thrown. He huffed slightly in annoyance. He should be used to this by now. He shifted on his feet as he leaned against the wall and folded his arms when things finally have calmed down.

Bill nodded and yawned. "Good, next time someone wakes me up for something like this someone's going to lose an ear."

Dipper glanced up at the window to see something that was very close to the ship. He moved away from his wall and climbed on top of the box as he peered outside. He could see the port not far from them "Captain!" He called out and turned his head to him.

Bill looked over at Dipper and walked towards him. He looked out the window and grinned. "Land!" He called out. "Land!" a chorus of joyful voices called back in unison as everyone immediately began to head to the surface to prepare for docking.

Dipper did not smile along with the crew for obvious reasons. He hadn't changed one bit on what he was feeling and nothing seemed to help him. Except for Bill that made him smile even though he was this way. He climbed off the box where he was standing and began to walk back up on deck.

The crew members began filling out but Bill reached out and grabbed Dippers wrist. "Hang on a moment," he murmured.

Dipper stopped in his tracks when he felt his grip. He glanced over at the Captain "What is it, sir?" He asked.

When the rest of the crew left Bill turned to Dipper. "I didn't find anything that might be causing this yet, but I'll keep looking." He said.

Dipper stared at him with slightly wide eyes. Bill actually did try to find out what was wrong with him. "Really?" He whispered.

Bill nodded and pats his back roughly. "Yeah, now let's go. "

Dipper grunts a bit, rubbing his back but he complies and walks forward.

As soon as the boat landed and Bill was down on the docks, he stretched his arms out wide and groaned. "I feel like a drink, hadn't had one in a long time! Come on boys!" He exclaimed, leading the way into town.

Dipper got off The Golden Eye and stared at the new town before him. This was a new place to him and he was a bit surprised how big the town was with its shops and drinking parlors. He heard the crew frantically follow the Captain in desperation for a good drink of rum. Dipper followed quickly to keep up

with them.

Bill roamed the streets with his crew surrounding him, laughing. He kept his hand on the hilt of his sword the whole time though, just in case.

Dipper passed by different looking people, some having nice looking dresses and suits. He and the crew looked like a sore thumb compared to these people but they looked like they didn't mind. And neither did he. Dipper clutched his vest where he could feel his book and continued walking until they got to a bar.

Everyone entered the bar and Bill smiled, sitting in a line booth as his men spread out. Dipper walked over to the booth glancing around at his surroundings, feeling as though he needed to be careful in here. He climbed up the stool since he was too short to just plop down on it on his own and he sat down next to Bill.

Bill grinned and kicked his feet up onto the table. "How are you doing pine Tree?" He asked.

Dipper eyed his feet on the table for a second before looking at his face. How the hell can he be so happy and grinning like that? After so many days of feeling down, he began to be jealous of him. 'Lucky bastard.' Dipper thought angrily but looked calm on the outside "I guess I'm doing fine." Dipper replied with a slight shrug.

Bills smile slowly dropped as he eyed Dipper warily. Dippers heart clenched in his chest and he turned away from Bills eye. He beckoned the bartender over for a drink. Bill turned his attention to the tender as he approached. The man had asked both of them what they would like to drink and Dipper replied saying "A glass of rum." He knew he would regret this later.

The bar door had opened again to reveal a red haired woman with vibrant green eyes and a calm collected look on her face as she strode inside. She wore a good sized hat that fit her figure and wore a long coat that reached down to her kneecaps. A long sword was strapped to her side to make it obvious she was armed. She sat down easily at the long table a few stools down from where Dipper and Bill were sitting.

Many of the men in the bar eyed her greedily, Bill however merely glanced at her before turning back to the bar tender. "I would like the same."

The man at the bar nodded and prepared both of their drinks. He handed them their drinks before going to the girl. Dipper took his drink in his hands and took a swig, grimacing as he did so and he let the burning liquid slide down his throat.

The woman spoke in a low voice what she wanted (which was a liquor) and she folded her slender arms on the table.

Bill turned to Dipper as he swallowed his drink without a second thought. He smacked his lips and set the emotional drink down. "Where do you think we should all go next, pine tree?" He asked.

Dipper turned his head to Bill and he shrugged a bit "I don't know...you've been out here longer then me. You must've heard some tale or legend around."

The woman heard the conversation between her ears and she tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear so she could listen better.

"Well," Bill grinned excitedly and leaned closer to Dipper. "Last night when I was..." He looked around briefly. "...gathering information. I found out about a legendary mirror. Apparently, when you look in the mirror, you can "see what is unseen" or something like that. Not many believe in it but there are some stories of sailors who have found it and have gotten great fortune from the mirror." He grinned at Dipper and rubbed his index and middle finger against his thumb. "We could use a little more 'great fortune', don't you think? I wasn't able to understand most of it, but I do know enough. And I think I know where to find it!"

Dipper listened intently and had a look of interest in his expression. "Where do you think this mirror would be?" Dipper asked him in a whisper. The woman sipped on her drink as she craned to listen in more without moving her head. She could hear some words from the one eyed captain like "mirror" and "seen what is unseen". She traced her finger on her glass, thinking about this legend. This was familiar to her. She glanced at the boy who sat next to the captain. She narrowed her green eyes at him.

Bill opened his mouth to speak again but his back stiffened. Even in the noisy cavern, he kept his guard up. His gaze drifted to the redhead, his eye piercing through the smoke drifting from many pipes and cigars in the room.

The woman turned her gaze away from the duo immediately when she say the captain turn his eye to her.  
Dipper looked at Bill confused "Is everything alright?" He asked in a low voice and glanced behind him.

Bill eyed her warily for a long moment before turning back to Dipper. "Yes everything is fine, but maybe we should continue this conversation later." He said with a grin.

Dipper looked back at Bill and nodded in agreement, seeing his grin. A slight smile appeared on his face at his captain. Bill had managed to make him smile again, which was a good thing.

The redhead was not threatened by Bills continuous stare. He was nothing compared to what she had to deal with. She was only looking at the boy...so small and seemingly fragile. Could this be him?


	3. Chapter 3: The Stranger

**A/N:**

**What's going guys? Ready for a new chapter? Well I hope you are since you're reading this at this moment of time….**

**Anyways, the chapter is up and more will be coming soon.**

**P.S. more notes at the end.**

* * *

~Chapter 3: The Stranger~

Time passed and soon it was time to head back to the ship. At least for Bill, the crew members seemed fit with staying at the bar getting drunk and gawking at the woman. Just as long as they were back at the ship by morning, Bill was fine with however they spent their night. He stood up after one last drink and exhaled. "Well I should get back. You coming Pine Tree?"

Dipper had managed to at least get half of his rum down before finally giving up on the beverage. He had started to feel a bit drowsy and loopy but he shook it off as he got off the stool "Sure, I'm starting to feel a bit woozy." Dipper replied, holding onto his head.

Bill smiled down at him. "Is this your first time drinking rum?" he asked

"Yes...and I wish I didn't." Dipper replied. He could have sworn that the room was slowly spinning around him.

Bill put a sturdy hand on Dippers shoulder quickly. "I think you had too much for your size..." He mumbled. "Come on, let's start heading back."

Dipper almost stumbled to the ground and he placed his hand on Bill's arm. "No no I think I'm alright," He said, drowsily "I can make it." His eyes drooped down so they were half open as he did his best to stay standing

Bill rolled his eye and crouched down in front of Dipper. "Get on my back." He commanded.

Dipper did as he was told and he had placed his arms on Bills shoulders lazily and rest his head on Bill's back. He positioned his legs on both sides of Bill's waist from behind.

Bill hoisted him up and supported the boy up by holding his thighs, in hopes that he doesn't slip off Bill and fall. He then ventured out of the noisy bar and into the quiet night, heading back towards the docks.

Dipper's eyes were fully closed now as Bill carried him. His head nuzzled into his back as he tried to get his head into a comfortable spot.

Bill continued to walk down the blue moonlit streets, passing few people. He was quiet the whole time, listening to his footsteps hit the cobblestones and Dippers quiet breathing

In the shadows, the red head from the bar was following the man in silence. She was very curious about the boy who was passed out on the Captain's back. And she was not going to let him leave her sight.

Bill slowed his steps as the prickly feeling of the hairs on the back of his neck rising spread. He knew this feeling, someone was watching him. He kept walking, hoisting the boy up on his back slightly.

The woman stopped when he did and hid behind the closest store where she wouldn't be seen. She glanced at them once more to see that he was walking again and she began walking as well. 'Where was his ship?' she wondered.

Bill kept walking until he finally reached the Golden Eye. Before boarding it again however, he paused and looked around. He squinted into the dark in hopes to find the follower. Then, he stepped into the ship.

The woman paused in the shadows to take a good look of the ship. She had to admit, it looked pretty decent. She expected it to look like a scrap of wood with sails tied to a pole. She continued forward, carefully climbing aboard once she saw Bill out of sight.

Bill entered his quarters and lay Dipper down on his bed. If this was his first time drinking (let alone passing out after) he was going to feel it tomorrow and needed his rest.

She got a full view of the deck and around the ship. She placed her hand on the pole and glanced upwards towards the helm. "Hmm.." she hummed in her mouth and tapped her finger lightly on her sword. "Where is that boy?" She whispered and walked away from the pole to go down below decks.

Bill put his hand on the hilt of his sword and opened the door a crack, quietly drawing his sword. "Now to take care of a pest," he muttered to himself.

The woman froze when she heard a door open not too far from her. She quickly hurried down the steps to avoid being caught.

Bill walked over to the top of the stairs, brandishing his sword. The moon behind him casted his shadow down the stairs as he slowly walked down them, the steps creaking under his weight.

She hid behind a wooden support in the darkness, glancing at the light at the stairs. Her heart beat went faster by seeing the Captain's shadow showing under the perfect moonlight. She couldn't help but smirk. This was exhilarating and she loved it. She had her hand close to her sword in her sheath as she watched him descend from the stairs.

He soon reached the bottom of the stairs and panted his feet firmly at the base. "I know you're in here," he called out eerily. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way. So come out."

She chuckled in the shadows and slowly unsheathed her sword. "Where would the fun be in that if you just did it the easy way?" She said to him, still hiding.

He grinned. "Good point." Bill replied, gripping his sword tougher as he tried to figure out the source of the voice.

"Besides...You won't be able to find me, handsome." She teased, smirking as she glanced over at him.

Bill raised his eyebrows. "You'd be surprised what I can do with one eye." He replied. Then in one swift motion, whirled around and brandished his sword towards the dark space that occupied the red head. "For instance, my hearing is quite skilled."

She frowned when he suddenly pointed his sword in her direction. "It seems as though what people say are true. You lose one sense and end up strengthening another." She clash her sword with his.

He grinned as he got his first good look at her. "You were at the bar," he said aloud before pushing his feet into the floorboards and lunging, clashing his sword against hers a few times.

She blocked each of his attacks, slightly surprised at his skills with a sword despite his one eye. She slashed her sword against his so they made a T shape "Thanks for noticing, Captain Obvious." She teased.

"My pleasure," he replied mockingly, giving her a toothy grin.

She smirked at him but then pushed him back with her sword. She swung at him again.

Bill deflected it just in time and spun around, swinging at her feet.

She didn't notice that he aimed at her feet and she missed her jump, falling backwards in the process. She landed hard on the floor and she gritted her teeth.

Bill quickly placed his foot on her shoulder, pinning her down. Before she could move he had his sword to pressing up against her throat. Bill stared down at her, eye narrowed. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

She grimaced, feeling the sharp blade against her throat and she looked up at his only eye. "It's not what it seems, blondie." She says, using the nickname to tease him "I was interested by your ship that's all."

He raised his eyebrows in surprise at the nickname (since he was used to being the one to give them not recieve them), then regained his composure. "And why is that?"

"Look, I've heard you say something about a mirror and got curious," she admits. "And I haven't been out at sea in a very long time and I hoped that you would let me join this expedition...and maybe your crew." She said to him. She secretly hoped that this would convince him.

Bill pursed his lips together. "So why did you sneak onto my ship instead of ask me at the bar?" he spat back in annoyance.

The red head rolled her eyes "Honestly why does anyone do anything these days?" She asked, a small smirk playing onto her lips "Perhaps I was a little shy by your looks, darling." She purred.

Bill raised an eyebrow at her. "What's your name?"

"Wendy..." She replied "Others call me Red Death."

Bill paused a moment before stepping back. "Red Hu?" He gave her room to sit up but didn't sheath his sword. "How come the mirror interests you and if you do join my crew, what's in it for me?"

Wendy sighed, propping herself up on her elbows and grateful that she could sit up. "I intend to know something about my past that I don't recall," she replies. "And as you can see from earlier I'm a great fighter, I snuck onto your ship with ease, and let's face it blondie you know you want me."

He huffed in response but sheathed his sword. "Fine. I'll let you join, but listen closely." He dropped down so he was sitting on his feet, balancing precariously on them. Bill rested his elbows on his knees as he looked at the woman. "I don't trust you, not yet. If I find out you have or will lie to me, I will not give a second thought on bringing my blade down on that pretty little head of yours. I'll be watching you."

Wendy listened to him but she was not afraid. He never was to her and she had a feeling that she never would. But she understood what he had said and she nodded. "What do they call you, Captain?" She asked tilting her head to the side.

"Bill." He replied as he stood up.

Wendy got up on her feet after he did and she picked up her sword that she dropped. She sheathed it back into its holder "Blondie suits you better." She smirks at him.

Bill scoffed before smirking softly. "Welcome to the Golden Eye, Red."

"'Tis a pleasure to be aboard." Wendy bowed at the waist almost mockingly.

Bill stepped towards the staircase before turning back to Wendy. "Be prepared to sail at dawn." He said before gesturing towards the staircase and grinned. "Ladies first."

Wendy smirked at Bill and she strode past him "My what a gentleman." She mused, giving him a wink before going up the staircase.

Bills eye wandered lower below her waist for just a brief moment as she walked up the stairs before quickly composing himself and following behind her grimly.

She walked along the deck before she suddenly realized something. "Say, wasn't there a boy with you?" She asked turning her head to him.

"Yes." He replied bluntly.

"He looked a bit tired from what I saw...is he alright?" She asked, crossing her arms behind her back

"Yes, just had too much to drink."

"Poor thing," she pouted out her lip "Although rather interesting that a young lad would be drinking such a beverage." She thought out loud

Bill placed a hand on his chin thoughtfully Before speaking again. "Yeah... sometimes I forget he's still a kid."

"How can you forget such a thing?" Wendy raised an eyebrow at him.

"You'd be surprised what Pine tree is capable of." He replied.

'Pine tree?' Wendy thought of the name in her head. 'Seems like blondie uses nicknames a lot.' She turned to him, leaning against the side of the ship "Ah so he's more than what he seems, huh?"

Bill turned to her and sighed. "I'm tired. Go sleep in one of the nearby inns, I expect you to be here by sunrise. No earlier and no later."

Wendy bit her lip slightly but then grinned at Bill. She pushed herself off and was about to walk past him. But not before whispering into his ear saying "Sleep well, blondie," and soon walking off the ship after that.

Bill watched her leave over his shoulder and waited after she disappeared, to make sure she had really left. Then he headed back to his room. He locked the door behind him and then walked over to his desk, pulling out his chair and sitting down in it heavily. Bill looked over at his occupied bed. He stared at the sleeping boy for a moment before looking back down at his paper strewn desk. Bill began sift through them, preparing himself for another long night.

* * *

**Aren't they cute? (;**


	4. Chapter 4: A Chance in Acceptance

**A/N:**

**New update to the story!**

**Now the updates on chapters will be a little slow due to the amount of work Cam and I have to deal with. I won't go into specific detail but it's just COMPLICATED.**

**But yeah, enjoy the new chapter.**

* * *

~Chapter 4: A Chance in Acceptance~

The next morning, Dipper stirred in his sleep, his head lulling to the side of the soft pillow. He felt like he was awake. But at the same time the pounding headache in his brain told him to not open his eyes. He groaned in pain.

A loud snore emanated from Bill as he lay asleep hunched over his desk, his head resting in his folded arms on the wooden surface.

Dippers eyes snapped open when he suddenly heard a snore. His eyes darted to Bill over at his desk and he sighed in relief, glad that it wasn't anyone else. But as he thought...he realized that this was the captain's cabin. He looked down at the comfy bed 'Did I sleep in here?' He thought. He hissed when his head pounded again and he clenched his head 'And what the hell happened last night?'

Bill snorted and he shifted in his seat slightly, before resuming back to snoring.

Dipper glanced at him to see the many papers on his desk. 'He wasn't kidding when he said he researched...' Dipper thought. He slowly sat up in the bed and rest his back against the wall. He felt so sick all over. He remembered vaguely ordering a rum...but he forgot how much he drank.

Bill shifted in his seat and groaned softly, slowly sitting up and rubbing his neck. His eyes were still closed from morning sleepiness.

"Bill..." He whispered out and groaned after him. He held himself in his arms as the hangover got worse.

Bills eyes snapped open as he looked at Dipper, surprise briefly lingering on his face. "Oh Pine tree!" He exclaimed with a grin. "I forgot you were here, how did you sleep?"

Dipper winced at his loud voice and he managed to bring one hand to his eyelids, rubbing the outsides gently. "I guess it was ok...though I feel like I have the worst of plagues..." He muttered

"A hangover will do that to you." Bill replied with a grin.

"It hurts like hell...what happened last night?" Dipper asked softly, daring to open one eyelid to look at Bill.

"You had too much to drink," he replied, stretching in his seat.

Dipper groaned, holding his head in his hands "I'm a moron..." He whispered

"It happens to the best of us."

"And yet you can hold yours well..." Dipper said.

"I've been drinking much longer than you, if I have enough I will know in the morning." He replied.

Dipper slowly nodded in understanding. It was like getting hit with a sledgehammer constantly after you wake up. "Didn't you say something about a mirror last night?" He asked as the thought came into his head

Bill perked up. "Yes! I read it in.. Oh hold on." He said as he rifled through the mess on his desk until he found a certain book with a light blue cover and faded white lettering. He picked it up and scooted his chair back so he could stand and walk over to Dipper. Bill held out the book in his hand and grinned. "In here."

Dipper stared at the book in his hand and he lifted his hand to grasp onto the book. He looked at it closely and read the title out loud "Myths of the Sea?" He looked up at Bill.

Bill nodded and at him and say down on the edge of the bed beside Dipper. "Yep. Look at page 34"

Dipper opened the book up and flipped through the pages till he got to page 34. On the page, there was a drawing of a very fancy mirror with a silver border around the glass. The design had swirling patterns that came out from all sides with pointy ends sticking out on the sides. "Whoa..." He whispered

Bill peered over the top of the book to look at the picture again.

Dipper looked at the title of the page which he read out loud "'The Revealing Mirror'" he then looked at the subtitle underneath it "'See what has been unseen...'"

Bill nodded quietly as Dipper read aloud

"What does that mean exactly? Is it like visions of the future?" Dipper asked, looking up at Bill.

Bill shrugged. "Maybe!"

"Huh..." Dipper says, pursing his lips together. Then he looks down at the page again to read more into it.  
A knock suddenly came at the door and Dipper looked up from the book, his heart skipping a beat. "It's been sunrise for a long time now, blondie," a voice said through the door "Did you die or something?"  
"Blondie?" Dipper whispered in confusion. Who was that anyways? It sounded like a woman.

Bill jumped up quickly and ran over to the door, cursing under his breath. He opened it up to glare at the intruder.

Wendy just smirked at him when she saw his death glare "Morning, Captain." She greeted him, folding her arms. Dipper strained his head to look and see who was at the door.

"Morning Red." He muttered back and stepped out of the cabin as he started barking orders at his crew.

Wendy watched him leave but not before taking a second glance inside the cabin. She noticed that Dipper was on the bed inside his cabin with a book on his lap and she smiled at him. 'So that's where he was...' She thought before turning and walking away.

Dipper clenched the sheets when he saw the woman's face. She was the lady in the bar just one night ago...the one that was eavesdropping on him and Bill. What was she doing here? Better yet, why did Bill let her on board? Questions boggled up in Dippers mind and he was determined to know the answers. As quickly as he could with his hangover, he slid off Bill's bed and closed the book, leaving it on the sheets and he made his way outside.

Soon the Golden Eye was sailing away from shore with Bill at the front, staring out at the ocean intently.

Wendy walked to the side of the ship, placing her hands on the side of the ship. The gentle breeze came over her and blew her hair slightly back as she gazed at the ocean. She smiled a bit and turned her head to glance at Dipper.

Dipper was minding his own business over by the mast and he couldn't help but feel like he was being watched. He moved his head around until his eyes fixated with the red head by the side of the ship. He shifted in his stance uncomfortably and turned away from her.

Bill jumped to Dippers side and placed a hand on his head, roughly rubbing it affectionately. "You up for work Pine Tree?" He asked.

Dipper got startled for a moment when he felt Bill's hand on his hand. His bandanna slipped over to his eyes with his hair looking messy in the process. He quickly adjusted his bandanna so it was still covering his forehead "As I'll ever be, Captain." He replied, slightly glad to get his mind off of the woman.

Bill smiled down warmly at him. "Then get to work!"

"Aye aye, sir." Dipper looked up at Bill for a short moment, seeing his smile. He tugged the corner of his lips up a bit to him before walking away to do his work.

Bill watched him walk away, a large smile still on his face. That boy was going to do great things, Bill felt that in his gut.

Dipper went off to grab his usual mop and bucket before he was cut off by a lanky man with black hair and lightly tan skin. He looked up at him, slightly backing away cautiously since he was still haunted by the last encounter with the crew. "Hi..." He greeted.

The man grinned down at him "Hey there. Dipper was it?" He asked, noticing Dipper nod in response to that. "The names Lee. Don't worry I'm not gonna hurt ye, I've learned not to disobey the captn's requests."

"Then what exactly do you want?" Dipper asked, folding his arms behind his back.

"Can you wield a sword well?" Lee gestured to Dippers ruby hilted sword.

Dipper placed his hand on the handle "I've learned the basics..." Dipper replied

"How about we 'ave a little duel? You know, 'ave some fun?" Lee offered as he took out his sword from his holster.

"I don't know..." Dipper felt unsure about this. He had learned a few techniques a while back. But he was afraid that it wouldn't be good enough

"Ah come on now, it won't be like a fight to the death or anything. Besides it will get some entertainment for these lackeys." Lee pointed out.

Dipper thought for a moment about this. If he were to win this duel, he would be able to prove himself to the crew. But if he were to lose...well...what harm would be in that? Dipper finally nodded "Alright you're on." He agreed

Bill was on the other side of the ship when he heard the sound of swords clashing. He swore under his breath and began to stomp towards the sound, ready to break up yet another fight. But when he saw that it was Dipper holding the sword and a crew member Bill barely recalled went by the name Lee, he stopped and leaned against a post to watch.

Wendy turned to see that Dipper and another man she did not know were sword fighting across the deck. She sat on the side of the ship to watch with interest. The crew had also stopped what they were doing and watched from different directions as Dipper fought with Lee.

Dipper blocked each of Lee's attacks with trained skill, keeping sure that his footwork was in place. Lee swung his sword forward in a strong blow which Dipper was able to block just in time. Only just barely. Dipper tried to use his quick thinking in the situation he was in and he saw an opening at Lee's left side. Dipper pushed Lee back from his position and he quickly swung his sword at Lee's side. Lee just barely managed to block it after his sudden surprise at being pushed back.

Dipper took this opportunity to his advantage and lifted his foot up, kicking Lee straight in the gut, causing him to fall to the ground. Dipper stood over Lee, both covered in sweat and he aimed his sword at Lee's throat. He slightly grinned for the first time in days, feeling proud of his victory. But it only lasted for a few seconds when he was suddenly kicked to the ground, his bandanna flying off his head in the process.

Dipper landed with a thud, his hair pushed back to reveal something peculiar on his head. It was the mark of the Big Dipper that he tried so hard to conceal.

Bill stepped forward and walked to the front of the crowd, clapping slowly. "Well done!" He exclaimed proudly, bending over and picking up Dippers bandanna and tossing it over to him. "That was a fine match indeed!" Bill said before turning to face everyone else. "I want you all to practice like that, we are getting rusty out here and who knows when our next raid is? Practice whenever you can!" He yelled out for the rest of the men and woman to hear.

Wendy's eyes widened slightly as she instantly saw the birthmark on Dippers forehead. 'It's him. Just like he said.' Wendy thought to herself. She got off the side of the ship and casually walked away from the scene and over to the stairs below decks.

Dipper slowly sat up on the deck, wiping the sweat that was on his forehead until he realized that his bandanna wasn't on him. His eyes widened in panic as he saw that his bandanna was tossed to him by his captain. He quickly picked it up and shoved it back onto his head, covering the mark once more. Did anybody see his birthmark? Will they make fun of him now? He swallowed nervously as he made sure the bandanna was tightly attached to his head.

Bill noticed his nervousness and waited beside him as the crew dispersed. He held out a hand to help him up after Dipper finished tying his bandana back on his head, grinning down at him and the sun behind his head, giving him a dark silhouette. "You alright there Pine Tree?" He asked.

Dipper glanced at his hand and looked up at him. He accepted his palm, pulling himself up onto his feet. "I-I'm fine..." He stuttered, rubbing his forehead slowly as he felt the fabric.

Bill patted his back. "Good match there, you really put up a fight!"

"But...but I lost..." Dipper looked down at the ground in shame.

"Of course you did, Lee has years of practice and look at his size! You lasted longer than I thought you would, so I think that's a feat in itself."

Dippers eyebrows furrowed together making his forehead crease. He sighed, lifting his head back up "I'll win one day..." He said

"That you will!" Bill exclaimed, strutting away to yell at some men who were slacking.

Dipper looked out to the horizon. No one even spoke of his mark...'Maybe no one saw it after all.' He thought, feeling slightly relieved about it.

But he did not realize that Wendy had saw his mark and had took immediate action to send a bottle out to sea, carrying a small parchment which had read; "Find the Golden Eye. I have found him."


	5. Chapter 5: Falling Stars

**A/N:**

**Hi everyone! A new update is finally here!**

**Now I will point out that updates will be slower than usual just to clear things up. I'm happy that you guys are liking the story and want to see more I just want to tell all of you that I will update when we are done writing the chapter and when I have time to do it. This story will keep going until Cam and I create an ending that will seem fit for this story.**

**Just wanted to clear it up again. Enjoy the new chapter!**

* * *

~Chapter 5: Falling Stars~

That night, Bill was sitting alone in his cabin. He was leaning against the back of his chair with his feet kicked up on his messy desk, covered in research. Bill tried massaging his own aching shoulders, but to no avail. The rocking of the boat normally helped lull him to sleep, but tonight it was no help. He exhaled heavily as he pushed himself off his seat and walked over to the door, opening the heavy oak door and walking out into the night. Bill breathed in the fresh air as he walked over to the mast, leaning against it heavily.

Somebody else had been outside with him but she was sitting by the helm on the stair railing. Wendy couldn't sleep that night either, so all she was doing was throwing an apple up into the air and catching it back on her palm. Her eyes shifted when she heard a noise come from on deck and she let a smirk crawl to her lips. "Can't sleep, blondie?" She mocked as she kept tossing up and catching her apple.

He peered over at his shoulder and smirked. "Nope, I'm assuming you can't either Red?" Bill inquired back.

Wendy grinned at him and climbed off the railing "Why else would I be out here when it's this late?" She twirled the apple in her fingers.

Bill huffed. "Are you sassing your captain?"

"I would use a different word than that, blondie." She teased as she walked slowly over to him

"Like what?"

"Hmm I'll let you figure that out." She winked at him. She held out the apple to him "Hungry?"

He took the apple with raised eyebrows and took a large bite.

Wendy smiled a little and leaned against the mast close by him. She looked up at the sky "It's also a nice night out here." She said softly

Bill nodded slowly then looked at Wendy, suddenly noticing how close she was. He cleared his throat and hummed in response, before climbing up a rope ladder to the top of the mast. "I want to show you something," he began. "Follow me"

Wendy looked up at him confused. But she nodded and followed him up the ladder, wondering what he had in store.

He reached the top and began to walk out, sitting down on the edge. Bill smiled down at the top of her head as Wendy came up. "Watch out for that rope there"

Wendy rolled her eyes "I can handle myself," she said but she payed mind to what he said. She made it to the top and easily walked across the mast, sitting down next to him. "So what is it exactly that you wanted to show me?" She asked

Bill looked up at the stars. He sat quietly, letting the silence sink in for a moment. "This." He replied quietly before leaning back and falling back, hooking his legs around the mast and hanging upside down, a laugh escaped his lips as he did this.

Wendy's eyes widened when he fell back and her breath cut short thinking he was going to fall. Then her eyebrows furrowed when he was just hanging down by his legs. "Is there a purpose for this?" She asked, feeling stupid to be fall for his shenanigans. He was nuts.

Bill swung softly from the momentum of falling back and chuckled. "You should try this, trust me on this."

Wendy looked at him, debating whether or not to do this. She finally sighed, only to relieve herself from her fast beating heart "Alright." She shifted herself in her spot and swung her body down, hanging by the insides of her knees. She pushed her hat further down her head to make sure it wouldn't fall on the deck.

Bill's arms hung on either side of his head as he peered over at the redhead, her long hair falling down and swaying softly in the breeze. He turned his gaze back to the night sky and pointed at it, his arm angled downward from his point of view. "someone showed me this once, look at the stars."

She turned her head to look at Bill, seeing where he pointed. She looked up at the starlit sky, feeling slightly silly by this. Was there something special about this? She had to ask, "Is there a difference?" Her voice was laced with curiosity and something else she didn't expect; interest.

Bill grinned, hearing the blood rush in his ears. "You tell me.

Wendy stared at him for a moment then looked back at the stars. There had to be a reason to do this. As much as she thought this was silly, she wanted to know what Bill was trying to show her. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath before opening them back up. She could now see that the stars were brighter this time. And she could've sworn that she saw a few twinkle in the sky. She stared in silent awe and a smile appeared on her face.

Bill looked over at her again and noticed the smile, knowing she was seeing what he could see now. He smiled softly to himself and admired the serene look on her face.

"This is beautiful..." Wendy admitted in a whisper. Now she realized what he wanted to show her. And she admired it...even enjoyed this small moment. She felt Bills stare on her and she met his gaze, feeling herself grow nervous. 'Don't get in too deep, Wendy.' She thought 'It will not end well...' She cleared her throat "Um...thank you..." Wendy nodded slightly to him.

Bill blinked his one eye, not moving his gaze away. "You are welcome"

Wendy looked into his only eye, biting the inside of her cheek. She decided to speak again after a moment of silence "Who showed you this?" She asked.

Bill paused before answering, turning his gaze back to the stars. "The boy." He replied back, reaching up to scratch his nose briefly before letting his hand fall back to hang limply

Her mind quickly thought of Dipper and the mark he had on his forehead. The real reason why she was here on this ship. On the outside, she only nodded in response "I see..." She looked back at the stars. "Have you known him for very long?" She asked out of curiosity.

Bill pursed his lips thoughtfully. "Yes, for a long time actually. He has been a part of this crew for a long time now."

"That sounds grand." Wendy said. She licked her lips a little in thought. "Do you...care about him?" She asked in a whisper, hesitant to ask him such a deep thing.

Bill raised an eyebrow at her. "Why do you ask?"

"I just notice how you are around him." She quickly replied.

Bill sighed and hefted himself upright again, straining his stomach muscles to help him sit up on the mast again. "I guess so, he has saved me before" he mumbled under his breath.

Wendy heard what he said as he sat upright on the mast again. She did the same, feeling the blood rush down from her head, giving her a woozy feeling in her stomach and brain. She gripped on the mast tightly to keep upright as she sat beside him. "That little boy saved a grown man..." She muttered. She didn't mean it as an insult. She was in fact rather surprised at how Dipper could save him. Maybe he was more than she anticipated.

Bill rolled his eye. "Well, so to speak." He shifted his weight on the mast and looked back up at the stars.

Wendy looked at him, bringing one of her legs up to her chest. "Well...he looks like a nice kid." She smiled a little.

Bill looked at Wendy and nodded. "Why the sudden interest in him?" He asked curiously.

Wendy looked into his one eye while resting her chin on her knee. She had to tell him something...and she had a feeling that lying to him would only make things worse. She denied it, but her heart knew she couldn't hurt him. "Well...he reminds me of when I was a little girl..." She started, feeling herself smile at the memory of her childhood. "Small, fragile, witty...like him I joined a crew at a small age. Of course the captain was reluctant to do so since I was but a child and, evidently, a girl. But I proved myself...and I've been a pirate ever since."

Bill stuck his bottom lip out and raised his eyebrows to show he was impressed. "How did you prove yourself worthy of the ship?" He asked curiously

Wendy chuckled lightly to herself. "Well my specialty was with knives and it still is. I was able to win a fight against two of the ship's best fighters. Ended up stabbing one of them in the process." She said

Bills eyebrows went up and let out a low whistle soon after. "That's impressive" he admitted with a laugh.

Wendy laughed as well "You should've seen their faces when I plunged my knife right into that bastards stomach. They never even dared to come near me for two weeks." She smirked at the memory and sighed softly in content.

Bill raised an eyebrow and made a mental note not to get on this woman's bad side.

Wendy looked up at the sky once more and laced her fingers together on her lap with a small smile. "Yeah...good times."

Bill looked at the sky as well. He was beginning to grow a lot of respect for this pirate.

Wendy took a small glance at Bill for a moment. She actually liked talking with the captain. He was easy to talk to. Unlike her past experiences with the men she hanged around.

Unbeknownst by her and Bill, the boy they had just been talking about was staring up at them from a distance. Dipper's eyes filled with a mixture of sadness and anger. He had believed that what he and the captain did on that night on the mast was their own special thing. No one else could intervene in that. But the red head...the woman took his place. He felt unimportant, invisible, and unwanted. Dipper wiped his face away of the tears that escaped his eyes. Maybe...Bill wouldn't even notice if he just...disappeared. Dipper glanced over at the side of the ship and made a decision.

Bill sighed and looked over at the redhead before carefully standing up again, brushing his pants off.

Wendy watched him as he stood up and she did the same, being careful as well with balancing herself. "Thanks again..." She said softly with a nod.

Dipper slowly moved forward to the side railing, giving another painful glance up at the duo on the mast. He hoisted himself up onto the wood and stood on it, looking into the dark blue water. His palms felt sweaty and his knees felt weak. He felt so alone...'They won't miss me...he won't miss me...' Dipper said to himself in his mind. He lifted one shaky foot over the edge.

Bill smiled at her and began to slowly climb down the mast. It was such a beautiful night, and such a beautiful moment. He felt…content. He rarely felt like this, so he cherished the feeling as he made his way down. But then as he reached the ground, the sight of a small figure standing on the edge about to step over the edge of the boat made his blood run cold.

"NO!" He shrieked tearing past his vocal cords, his voice cracking as he bolted forward, faster than he's ever ran before. He reached the boy and grabbed his wrist right as he fell, yelling out furiously as his body was yanked down with the boys weight. His fingers dug into his wrist, holding on tighter than probably necessary.

Dipper's heart stopped beating in his chest when he felt a hard grip on his wrist. What was going on? Why was somebody stopping him from this? He hesitantly looked up to see Bill holding onto him and he felt a big rock fall into the pit of his stomach. He had no words to speak at this moment. A mass of conflicting emotions came into his heart and all he wanted to do right there and then was die.

Wendy had jumped in surprise half way down when she heard Bill's scream and she almost shrieked when he caught the boy. She came down the rope ladder and ran across the deck but stopped a few feet away from Bill, not knowing what or why Dipper had the mind to jump like that.

Bill tugged him up with a grunt, the wind seemed to grow colder and angrier as he did this. He dragged the boy back onto deck and fell back, pulling Dipper down with him. He landed on his back, holding Dipper tightly. Bill growled as he sat up, grabbing Dipper by the shoulders and held him out so he could look at his face.

"What the hell are you doing?!" He cried out, shaking him violently, making Dippers hair bounce. He didn't mean to act out like this, but he didn't understand. He didn't know how to react.

Dipper could not even look at Bill in the eye. Even as he felt his body shake, it only made him feel worse in his stomach. He felt like puking it was that bad. Dipper looked down at his knees as he began to feel his throat close up and tears escaped his eyes. He clutched onto the fabric of his pants as he refused to answer Bill or even look at him

"ANSWER ME" Bill yelled angrily, impatience and confusion clouding his good judgment.

Dipper flinched at his tone and he started to shake even more not by Bill but on his own. He parted his lips slightly as he managed to utter out a few words "I'm...alone...no one...cares about me..." His throat closed once more and he cried some more. Noises could be heard of his constant sobbing.

Wendy felt terrible to see Dipper like this. Even uncomfortable to witness such an event. She felt like she was intruding on something private between the two. It made Wendy shift in her stance.

Bill simply stared at Dipper silently, all emotions seemed to drown out of him.

"I…I don't understand." His voice broke as he spoke out quietly, watching the boy cry in front of him as he held onto his shoulders tightly. He stayed silent, watching the tears roll down his cheeks and spot the ground in between them. The only sound they could hear was the sloshing of the waves and Dippers cries, and it was killing a small part of Bill that was buried deep underneath his skin.

Dipper shook his head and covered his eyes with his shaking hands as he continued to cry. "My mother is dead...my father left us...and that time we met Mabel…" He swallowed "I felt like I connected with her...but the next thing I knew I lost her too…" The boy gritted his teeth together "The only other time I felt I still had someone to be my family was you!" He admitted, shouting to the ground. "But now, you replaced me with that woman!"

Wendy covered her mouth to conceal her reaction to Dipper's words and her eyes widened. It was nothing like that. Not one bit. In her mind she had set up something entirely different.

Bills eye widened in realization of what he was saying. He…thought of him as family? And he connected with that mermaid? The one he almost killed? But…no. That didn't make sense.

And Wendy…Dipper felt like he was being replaced.

"So you tried to end your life because you thought you were being replaced?" He finished his thoughts out loud, staring at Dipper in disbelief.

To Dipper it sounded worse than what he thought before he tried to jump. But if that was really where it came down to it...he nodded slowly in response

Bill stared at him for a moment longer before swiftly standing up, pulling dipper up by his arm. He looked at Wendy and gave her a brief nod.

"Do not speak to any of the crew of this. And don't think because you're a woman I won't treat you any differently than a normal crew member if you do not obey my command." He spoke out briskly. Bill wasn't worried about looking bad or anything, but he knew the crew would give Dipper a hard time about this. They would even probably try to finish the job for him. This thought made Bill visibly shudder before turning away and hauling Dipper behind him towards his quarters.

Wendy listened to Bill's words with intent this time and she returned the nod in understanding "Ok..." She responded and watched him walk away. She was stunned to be honest. She did not expect the boy to be this broken...

Dipper blindly followed behind Bill, his legs only barely allowing him to walk so he was basically dragged to his quarters.

Bill slammed the heavy wood door behind them after entering the cabin, and let go of Dipper. He rummages through his books, throwing most of them on the ground as none of them seemed to be what he looked for. He was clearly upset, but he wouldn't say anything as he searched.

Dipper leaned against the wall by his door as he heard Bill go through his things. He knew he was the cause of Bill's attitude and he did not want to get in his way. But what he didn't know what triggered his emotions more. Either it was the fact that Dipper almost took his own life...or that he told Bill the truth.

Bill found what he was looking for and slammed the book down on the table with a loud thud. He licks his fingers and flicked through a few pages before landing on a bookmarked page. A picture of a mirror was on it and he shifted his weight into one leg.

"Here, I've been doing some research. I don't know what's going on with you, but I think it's something more than you suspect." He murmured, seemingly more to himself rather than Dipper. "It helps you see what is unseen, so it should help us see how to fix you. I mean help you" he corrected himself. No, he didn't want to believe the boy was broken.

Dipper moved himself off the wall as he listened to Bill talk about the mirror. He recalled looking at the very page earlier that day when he woke up with his horrible hangover. He finally allowed himself to look up at Bill without bursting to tears again. "Where is it...?" He asked and winced at the sharp pain in his throat. He felt his throat carefully massaging the muscles.

Bill looked up at Dippers pained expression and quickly looked back down at the page. He hates seeing him like that.

"We've been sailing the the direction of Misty's Cove, where it's said to be held for the past 2 month and a half. It's close by and we are almost there."

Dipper swallowed before taking a deep breath "And the mirror...will fix me?" He asked his tone softer this time. He had took note to what Bill said before he changed it to a different phrase. But he was right. He wanted to be better...but so much sadness filled him it was like the mirror was his last hope before he does something worse.

Bill kept his intense gaze down at the page.

"…yeah." He stayed like this for a long time before speaking again.

"You should get some rest, but you're sleeping in here."

Dipper nodded silently to Bill, whispering out a "Yes sir" before slowly climbing onto his bed and slipped into the covers.

Bill closed his eyes and exhaled, closing the book slowly. He opened them again and blew out the candle at the desk and kicked off his boots. He shrugged off his jacket and carefully laid it out on the back of his chair, giving it a pat before walking over to the boy in bed. He stared down at him for a moment before speaking again.

"Why did you do it?"

Dipper's breath hitched in his throat and he opened his eyes. He hunched in his position so that his knees were close to his stomach and he held himself tightly in his own arms. "I...I told you..." He muttered.

Dippers previous statement rang in Bill's memory of how he felt replaced by the red head. He grimaced slightly at the thought, he had shown her the stars the way Dipper showed him. It was an innocent act in his mind, but a devastating blow on Dipper.

"Di…" he began, but cut himself off. He didn't want to make matters worse, and he was about to have another break down in front of the boy, after that mermaid had escaped them. Bill instead lifted the covers and got into bed on the opposite side that Dipper was on. He leaned over him and blew out the candle on the bedside, throwing the cabin into an inky darkness.


End file.
